Business & Real Estate

Owner Joan Reidenbaugh in front of Jamaica Gardens as renovations are in progress.

(UPDATE: Jamaica Gardens opened on October 26.) Tropical cuisine, fruity cocktails adorned with umbrellas and the relaxing beat of reggae music are headed to Mount Dora. Jamaica Gardens, a new downtown eatery, is expected to have its soft opening in October.

Like a lot of visitors to the quaint Central Florida town, Joan Reidenbaugh fell in love with Mount Dora when she married her husband, Mark, twelve years ago at the historic Lakeside Inn.

“I saw a need for a great Caribbean-style location in the beautiful city and have been dreaming about this since,” said Reidenbaugh.

Fast forward and she is now busy transforming the large space at 322 Alexander Street into Jamaica Gardens, a restaurant offering authentic Caribbean cuisine. After painters finish turning the drab exterior into a vibrant sky blue, Reidenbaugh will add new awnings and a “beach area” to the outside to help bring an authentic island vibe to the location.

The cuisine will be mostly Jamaican with a touch of other Caribbean flavors. There will be plenty of the traditional jerk dishes, along with curried goat, Jamaican-style oxtails and Escovitch fish and conch fritters, plus coconut shrimp, fried chicken, salads and soups.

Reidenbaugh, a certified chef who majored in hotel and restaurant management, will be the primary chef until she trains a replacement. The Jamaican native of Christiana, Reidenbaugh said her authentic Caribbean recipes draw from her island roots just like her other restaurant in Longwood.

The interior of the restaurant, formerly The Pineapple Place, is also changing to provide an atmosphere that diners would find in Jamaica. The bar will feature specialty cocktails and a happy hour on Monday through Thursday. Jamaica Gardens will feature a live reggae band and steel drums Wednesdays through Saturdays.

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The $70 million Florida Hospital WatermanEmergency Department Expansion and New Patient Tower which broke ground in July 2017 marked a major milestone last week. The highest structural element was put in place and the hospital hosted a "topping out" celebration, a traditional construction ceremony. Guests were invited to sign the structure’s highest beam before it was lifted by a crane into place. As part of the tradition, an evergreen tree was lifted with the beam and placed on the top of the project.

The project will more than double the hospital’s emergency department capacity by adding more than 111,000 square feet of patient care space to the hospital. This includes an expansion of the emergency department to 58 beds and a 24-bed women and pediatrics unit. Floors three and four of the new patient tower will be shelled for future growth, and the structure will support an additional expansion up to six floors. Construction is scheduled to be completed by April 2019.

“This is a big day for Florida Hospital Waterman,” said Abel Biri, the hospital’s CEO. “As our community continues to grow, and more Lake County residents choose us for their care, we have expanded to meet that demand.

​“We are committed to delivering the most advanced and efficient care possible in our community, and we are blessed to have the opportunity to build on our historic commitment for the future,” continued Biri.

Abel Biri, the hospital’s CEO, and guests signed the project's top beam.

Florida Hospital Waterman will soon be AdventHealth Waterman. The 269-bed hospital was founded in 1938 in Eustis by Frank Waterman, president of the Waterman Fountain Pen Company, as an 18-bed facility in a defunct hotel. The hospital joined the Adventist Health System in 1992 and moved to its current Tavares location in 2003. With more than 1,700 employees and nearly 280 physicians on its medical staff, the hospital cares for more than 15,000 inpatients a year.

For more news and events in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis, click here. To get the area's top stories in your inbox once a month, sign up for the free monthly issue of Mount Dora Buzz here.​​​​​​

In the spring of last year, it was announced that Wawa, a national convenience store and gas station chain, was slated to replace the small Shell station on the corner of U.S. 441 and Morningside Drive near Lake Gertrude. The chain of large gas stations has gained popularity for its variety of take-out food options.Although the Wawa project has been approved for several months by the City of Mount Dora, Wawa is adding approximately 90 new stores in Florida and construction isn’t expected to begin in Mount Dora until next summer, according to a city official. However, the company couldn't confirm that specific timing.

Wawa plans to kick off its North Central Florida launch on September 12 when it breaks ground on three stores in Ocala. At that time the company plans to announce its timing for specific sites in the region, including Mount Dora. "The timing of our site openings are carefully planned and take into consideration many factors in our overall expansion efforts," said a Wawa spokesperson. Last year, the city of Mount Dora acted promptly to annex the approximately 1.25 acre property and re-zoned it as necessary for Wawa. Wawa opened its first store in Florida in 2012 and had over 100 locations in the Sunshine State as of 2017. Of the over 730 locations in the eastern part of the U.S., approximately 500 also provide gasoline.

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The sight of construction on U.S. 441 near Panera Bread was enough to get tongues wagging and spark rumors about what new businesses are setting up shop.

The fact is, there are three new national chains moving into the spot across from Mount Dora's Target. Kay’s Jewelers, Marco’s Pizza, and Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa will all have locations at the site under construction in the strip center in Eustis. No completion or opening date has been determined.

Currently, the closest Kay’s Jewelers is inside the Leesburg Mall, while the nearest Marco’s Pizza is in Apopka. Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa is a national franchise concept with nearby spas in Lake Mary and Longwood. All of their franchises are open seven days a week with extended hours. Stay tuned to Mount Dora Buzz for updates and openings. Find more new local stores and restaurants opening in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis by signing up for the free monthly issue of 'The Buzz' hereand follow Mount Dora Buzz on Facebook. ​

There always seem to be new businesses popping up in downtown Mount Dora, but rarely is one so long overdue.

A new bike share and rental company, Mount Dora Bikes, plans for its fleet of new bicycles to hit the road by mid-August or early September. The business will launch with twelve custom aluminium bikes, six of them available for hourly rentals, while the others will be for daily rentals.

The hourly bike rentals will be accessible from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week at a self-service rack that serves as a docking station. The rack will be located at 334 N. Donnelly Street in downtown Mount Dora near Every Nook & Cranny artists collective. Customers will download the Bloom Bike Share mobile app and follow the simple process to pay for and unlock the bikes. The hourly rate is $15 per hour and the process will be similar to what riders experience at bike-shares in larger cities. Geo-fence technology will keep track of each bike.

The company and its cheerful branding are the brainchild of Maria Slaby, a local publisher and 22-year Mount Dora resident, with a lifelong passion for bikes. The company’s slogan is “You can’t buy happiness, but you can rent a bike.”

A few years ago Slaby jumped on her first bike-share experience in New York City with her daughter, Annika. It was love at first ride. The current trend in bike-shares is for private businesses to launch them, rather than the municipal programs seen previously. Slaby’s process began late last year with the logistics and technology requiring the most patience.

Daily rental bikes are also available with one-, two-, and three-day packages available that include picnic baskets, sightseeing maps and local discount coupons for dining and merchandise. Helmets and safety vests are available to borrow at no charge. Daily rates start at $50 per day and decrease for multiple days.

Reservations for daily rentals can be made online with free pick-up and delivery from 10 a.m. until noon within Mount Dora’s core. Outside Mount Dora, pick-up can be arranged as needed.

“For our family, biking in Mount Dora has been a huge part of our lives. As a home-schooling family with four kids, we often took our bikes and backpacks on excursions throughout the city, settling at one park or another for a break to do some homework,” said Slaby. “It’s a joy to be able to share this passion for biking with others in a town we adore.”

In the past, Slaby had been renting bikes to service local hotels and bed-and-breakfasts. She’s thrilled to be expanding the fleet and offerings directly to customers with Mount Dora Bikes.

Excursions, tours and events are planned for the future. “First we want to get our foundation solid in the Mount Dora area. Our priority is to get our systems running smoothly and efficiently,” said Slaby. “Hopefully that will go quickly, paving the way for us to not only expand our fleet, but our offerings as well.”

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It makes perfect sense. After all, coffee and reading go together about as well as coffee and donuts.

Mount Dora’s W.T. Bland Library has teamed up with New Vision for Independence, Lake County’s blind services agency, to open the library’s first cafe. Café Louis, named for Louis Braille who invented braille code at age 15, will be staffed by visually impaired individuals during its two trial openings that will last for four days each.

During the two trial runs, visitors can purchase coffee, tea, juices and pre-packaged snacks in the lobby of the library. The pop-up cafe will be open the weeks of July 9-12 and July 23-26, running from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. during both weeks. Visitors to the library are also being encouraged to enjoy new, comfortable chairs, ice-cold A/C, free Wi-Fi and over 78,000 items to browse during the hot summer months.W.T. Bland Public Library is located at 1995 North Donnelly Street, Mount Dora.

This isn’t their first rodeo. Wildwood Antique Mall, a fixture in the city for which it’s named, just opened its eighth Florida location in Eustis.

The large open venue spans more than 28,000 square-feet of air-conditioned shopping space. The mall, the largest of its kind in Eustis, is currently about 25 percent full, so there is still space available for more vintage vendors to peddle their antique and vintage furniture, china, jewelry, home decor, rare coins, memorabilia and other collectibles. There is room for approximately 150 vendors in total, according to store management.

Wildwood Antique Mall in Eustis is open seven days a week and located at 349 Plaza Drive, next to Enterprise Rent-A-Car.On weekends, antique lovers can make a day of treasure hunting by also visiting Renningers Antique Center and the Village Antique Mall in Mount Dora.

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Economic development has long been a spoken priority in Mount Dora. Now that spoken word has turned into action.Almost a year’s worth of effort by City Manager Robin Hayes and Mount Dora’s economic development consultant Dr. Richard Levey paid off in May when Steamroller Studios announced it would relocate its headquarters to downtown Mount Dora. ​ Read more

In 2009, a casual Italian eatery was born by the passion of local restaurateur, Leigh Love. She and Jesse Thomas, a chef who became her business partner, first dished out pizzas and pastas on Donnelly Street and later made the fortuitous move to the corner of 5th Avenue and Clayton Street.

The inviting and casual eatery has become popular for its classic Italian dishes, famous garlic knots, fresh pasta and salads, as well as their popular pizzas.

On June 30th the eatery, PizzAmore, will celebrate its 10th Anniversary with a community party featuring music by David Oliver Willis, pizza and beer stations, plus plenty for the kids including a bounce house, face painting and snow cones. True to its history of community involvement, the restaurant will be accepting donated cans of SpaghettiOs to help Lake Cares feed local children this summer.

Love and Thomas go back further than their decade at PizzAmore. The two began working together in 2004 when Love offered Thomas a job in her first Mount Dora restaurant, 5th Avenue Cafe. The popular eatery was ahead of its time in Lake County, offering quality gourmet fare with fresh organic ingredients.

Thomas eventually became Love’s business partner in her second venture, PizzAmore. "Jesse and I are like yin & yang. We balance each other in so many ways – we complement each other’s strengths and weaknesses." said Love about the cornerstone of their business partnership.

Their mutual goal has been to put fresh, really tasty food on the table at a reasonable price and they have succeeded for the last decade. For the last few years, PizzAmore has been voted “Best Pizza” in the Best of Mount Dora awards.

The public is invited to the anniversary party beginning at 6 p.m. PizzAmore is located at 722 5th Avenue in Mount Dora.

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Residents just received a more diverse choice of grocery retailers in Mount Dora.

​Bravo Supermarkets, a 70-store chain that offers authentic Hispanic ingredients and other items, opened today on Donnelly Street and U.S. Highway 441 in the Harbor Freight shopping center.

The New York-based chain has stores throughout the Southeastern and Northeastern United States and caters to value shoppers. Founded in the 1990s, Bravo Supermarkets range between small neighborhood bodegas and large grocery superstores. The stores typically range from 7,000 to 25,000 square feet.

She’s a long way from Mersin, the large port city and her hometown in southern Turkey.

When Chef Nalan Ertane opened her Turkish restaurant in April, her goal was to spread the Turkish food and culture to a new town where it’s never been experienced. She decided downtown Eustis was the perfect place.

Nalan Sultan Mediterranean Grill serves authentic Turkish cuisine with housemade specialties from Ertane’s own recipes. Customer favorites include falafel, lamb adana, gyros, and beef shish. Entrees range in price from $11 to $16, appetizers range from $7 to $9, and all are made from scratch daily.

The dishes sampled were all fresh and full of flavor. The light and smooth hummus was served with fresh, soft pitas. Unlike the ubiquitous festival falafels, Nalan Sultan’s are moist and well-seasoned with green onions and parsley, and accompanied by cacik, the traditional cucumber yogurt sauce. Not to be overlooked is the light and smoky baba ghanoush, which was another favorite.

“When I was younger I always had a passion to cook,” said Ertane, “and I dreamed to have my little place in a small town with my family where we can serve authentic Turkish dishes to a new community.”

The casual restaurant is the second eatery the Ertane family has owned in Central Florida. The chef is joined at the restaurant by her son, who manages the business, and her daughter, a server.

Soon, the restaurant will undergo renovations to include a bar to serve Turkish beer and wine, and a belly dancer will entertain diners weekly. In the meantime, diners can opt for Turkish coffee and tea to complement the housemade desserts like baklava, rice pudding and revani.

In 2005, Ertane immigrated to New York City with her family and moved to Orlando the following year. They now think of the city as their home.

Nulan Sultan is located at 1 N. Eustis Street in downtown Eustis. It’s open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and closed on Sunday.

​Find more new local restaurants and stores opening in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis here and follow Mount Dora Buzz on Facebook. Free subscriptions to the monthly issue of 'The Buzz' are available here.

Soon a quick trip to a French market may be as easy as visiting downtown Mount Dora’s Renaissance Building.

A new store, Black Swan Mercantile, is expected to open on Memorial Day weekend and will feature everything shoppers would expect to find in a charming Paris market, including French linens, lavender products, French-milled soaps and vintage items, plus Southern-inspired decor and related books. The small shop will also have a pantry section stocked with French gourmet foods and candies.

“I like to think of the shop as being themed by old Southern charm with a nod to flirty French inspiration,” said owner Lee Ann Ganung who wants customers to feel at home in her store. She chose the name because a black swan is a rare anomaly which she feels is much like her store.

Ganung will be working in the store along with some part-time help.

“I’m a people person, love sales, and am grateful that I have this opportunity to be surrounded by and to market beautiful things,” said Ganung of why she decided to open her own store. Previously she had a career in finance and most recently managed her husband’s land surveying business and operated a local vacation rental.

A Florida native, Ganung moved to Mount Dora five years ago with her husband, Clay, and two dachshunds, Wally and Emma.

​Find more new local restaurants and stores opening in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis here and follow Mount Dora Buzz on Facebook. Free subscriptions to the monthly issue of 'The Buzz' are available here.

Last week downtown Eustis added its second new eatery in a month. The El Marie’s Pizzaria and Sub Shoppe opened in a small, but inviting space down the street from The Crazy Gator.

Guests order at the counter from a short menu that features an 18-inch cheese pizza ($15) and seven other specialty pizzas ($17 to $19) including a white pizza. Calzone lovers can get their fix of the oven-baked folded pizza with a choice of five selections on the menu ($16-20).

Among the seven submarine sandwiches are a turkey and cheese ($11) and Pop’s Italian sub ($14).

The El Marie Pizzaria (yes, that’s their spelling) and Sub Shoppe is located at 200 Bay Street. The hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday through Thursday and open until 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Although the location and the smell of fresh coffee will be familiar, the business is a new one. Cafe Aroma is expected to open this Thursday in the downtown space formerly occupied by The Coffee Branch Cafe, which closed earlier this spring.

The new rustic coffee shop will feature premium Viennese coffee, as well as the usual espressos, lattes, cappuccinos and teas. For anyone desiring a nosh with their cup of joe, Cafe Aroma will serve up traditional morning offerings of muffins, bagels, croissants and Danish pastries. Pies, cakes and cookies will be added in the afternoons. Prices for treats will range from $1.25 to $5.00.

“We are hoping down the road to open up the deli portion of the cafe and be able to serve breakfast and lunch items,” said Reginia Kelly who co-owns the coffee shop with her husband Dan.

The Kellys plan to create a friendly atmosphere with occasional special events on some evenings that include trivia, live music, poetry readings and painting classes. They are also planning “give back” nights that support less fortunate members of the community. This is a natural part of their business, since the couple also runs Feed the Need Central Florida, a Seminole County non-profit that helps feed the hungry.

Cafe Aroma is located at 144 W. 5th Avenue in downtown Mount Dora and will be open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and later for special events. Free wifi and cell phone charging stations are available for customers.

UPDATE (5/15/18) : Bravo Supermarket in Mount Dora is currently scheduled to open May 31.

Residents will soon get a more diverse choice of grocery retailers in Mount Dora. Bravo Supermarkets, a 70-store chain that offers authentic Hispanic ingredients and other items, will be opening on Donnelly Street and U.S. Highway 441 in the Harbor Freight shopping center.

The New York-based chain has stores throughout the Southeastern and Northeastern United States and caters to value shoppers. Founded in the 1990s, Bravo Supermarkets range between small neighborhood bodegas and large grocery superstores. The stores typically range from 7,000 to 25,000 square feet.

There is currently no opening date, but updates will be posted on our Facebook page. For more local news and events, sign up for the free monthly issue of Mount Dora Buzz hereand follow Mount Dora Buzz on Facebook.